Claire Pike

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education Enhancement)
Anglia Ruskin University 

Claire Pike is Pro Vice Chancellor (Education Enhancement), Anglia Ruskin University 

Partners Sessions

What might the future of education technology hold?

Day 2 : 12:00 - 12:30 GMT
Wonks' stage

Nuala McLaren

Head of Reader Services and Academic Support
Goldsmiths, University of London

Nuala is Head of Reader Services and Academic Support at Goldsmiths, University of London

Partners Sessions

Achieving curriculum transformation at scale

Day 2 : 10:15 - 10:45 GMT
Wonks' stage

Robin Gibson

Marketing Director
Kortext

Robin is Marketing Director at Kortext

James Ball

Journalist and author

James Ball is the global editor at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. He is a former Guardian special projects editor.

Partners Sessions

Report launch - How universities can prepare students for the changing world 

Day 2 : 15:00 - 16:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

Helen Cross

Director of Research and Innovation
Scottish Funding Council

Helen Cross is Director of Research and Innovation at the Scottish Funding Council

Partners Sessions

Has REF gone woke? Research culture and research excellence

Day 2 : 12:00 - 13:00 GMT
Collaboration space

Polly Curtis

Chief Executive
Demos

Polly is Chief Executive of Demos

Polly spent much of her career at the Guardian where she reported on health, social affairs and education, before joining the lobby team as Whitehall Editor, writing about government and policy. She went on to be digital editor of the Guardian, then led newsrooms as Editor-in-Chief at HuffPost UK, a Partner at Tortoise Media and Managing Director at PA Media.

Her book, Behind Closed Doors, an investigation into social services in England, was published by Virago in February 2022 and was a finalist in the Orwell Prize for political writing. In it, she sets a vision for a different way that the state and communities can work together to solve problems. She serves as a trustee of the Public Interest News Foundation, as well as a Non-Executive Director of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Polly lives in North West London and has two children.

Chris Shelley

Director of Student Experience
Queen Mary University of London

Chris Shelley is Director of Student Experience at Queen Mary University of London.

Partners Sessions

Does the HE sector need a student support excellence framework?

Day 2 : 09:30 - 10:30 GMT
Collaboration space

Joe Holmes

Vice President Education
Essex SU

Joe Holmes is the Vice President Education at Essex SU. Since being elected, Joe has led on reform to academic skills training, a departmental belonging initiative, and research into what prevents students from attending classes.

Partners Sessions

Do we need (yet) another major HE review?

Day 2 : 16:15 - 17:15 GMT
Main stage

David Aaronovitch

Journalist, television presenter and author

David is a journalist, television presenter and author. He is a regular columnist for The Times and the author of Paddling to Jerusalem: An Aquatic Tour of Our Small Country (2000), Voodoo Histories: the role of Conspiracy Theory in Modern History (2009) and Party Animals: My Family and Other Communists (2016). He won the Orwell Prize for political journalism in 2001, and the What the Papers Say “Columnist of the Year” award for 2003. He previously wrote for The Independent and The Guardian.

Partners Sessions

In conversation: David Aaronovitch

Day 2 : 11:00 - 11:45 GMT
Main stage

Leonie Fleischmann

Senior Lecturer in International Politics and Human Rights
City, University of London

Leonie Fleischmann is Senior Lecturer in International Politics and Human Rights at City, University of London. Fleischmann’s research explores social movements, civil resistance campaigns and human rights activism.

Partners Sessions

Should higher education just stop protest?

Day 2 : 15:00 - 16:00 GMT
Collaboration space

Sarah Churchwell

Chair in Public Understanding of the Humanities
University of London

Sarah Churchwell is Chair in Public Understanding of the Humanities at the University of London. Their research explores American myths and icons and close reads cultural discourse, especially intertextual and subtextual cultural codes and recovering lost contexts. Research topics include Gone with the Wind, histories of interwar American fascism, a rhetorical history of the phrases “American Dream” and “America First,” histories and readings of The Great Gatsby, American language in the American 1920s and 1930s, classical Hollywood cinema, and iconic American figures including Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Marilyn Monroe, Sylvia Plath, Henry James, and Margaret Mitchell. Their journalism has been published in the New York Review of Books,Atlantic, Washington Post, New York Times, Financial Times, Prospect, Guardian, TLS, New Statesman, Sunday Times, and many others.

Richard Brown

Freelance researcher and Associate Fellow at University of London

Richard Brown has worked in public policy and research for thirty years – including as a higher education researcher at The Times, local government researcher at the Audit Commission, manager of the Mayor of London’s architecture and urbanism unit, strategy director at London Legacy Development Corporation, and deputy director at Centre for London. 

Richard’s freelance research and writing work has recently included projects on skills, higher education, innovation, the cost-of-living crisis and post-Covid urban policy. He is a regular blogger at onlondon.co.uk, co-author (with Richard Rogers) of ‘A Place for All People’ (Canongate 2018), and co-author and -editor (with Jack Brown and Tony Travers) of ‘London’s Mayor at 20’ (Biteback 2020). Richard is also a non-executive director at London Modern and The Evidence Quarter.

Partners Sessions

Report launch - How universities can prepare students for the changing world 

Day 2 : 15:00 - 16:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

Vicky Stott

Chief Executive
QAA

Vicki has been Chief Executive of QAA for two years, during which time she has overseen the suspension and reinstatement of QAA on the European register of Quality Assurance Agencies, which led the Agency to demit from the role of DQB. She was a witness in person to the recent House of Lords inquiry into the Office for Students and has provided advice to government on not only matters of regulation, but also delivery of the lifelong learning agenda, drafting the legislation to criminalise provision of essay mill services, and the delivery of high-quality provision during the COVID pandemic.

Prior to joining QAA, Vicki was Bursar (COO) at St Hugh’s College Oxford. She has also worked at the University of Birmingham as Director of Strategic Planning and in various roles at Warwick University and Warwick Business School. She started her career in higher education at UMIST, where she worked in international student recruitment. Vicki worked on the Scottish Government inquiry into infant cremation practices, and has experience in the commercial and charity sectors, having run her own company and been director of a charity working with women and families affected by domestic abuse.

Vicki is a graduate of Manchester University, and Harvard Kennedy Business School from where she holds a qualification in the Strategic Management of Regulatory Enforcement Agencies.

Partners Sessions

Report launch - How universities can prepare students for the changing world 

Day 2 : 15:00 - 16:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

Anjana Ahuja

Journalist and contributing writer on science at the Financial Times

Anjana Ahuja is a British Indian science journalist and a former columnist for The Times. She is now a contributing writer at the Financial Times. She also contributes to The Daily Telegraph, Prospect, New Scientist and the Radio Times. She was named Best Science Commentator at the 2013 Comment Awards. Ahuja, who was educated at a comprehensive school in Essex, read physics at Imperial College London, and then took a PhD in space physics during which she worked on data about the Sun’s magnetic field from the Ulysses probe.

Partners Sessions

In conversation: Anjana Ahuja

Day 2 : 15:15 - 16:00 GMT
Main stage

Rita Akushie

Pro Vice-Chancellor Finance and Operations
University of London

Rita is an accomplished senior finance and commercial leader. She has developed and led large finance and corporate support teams. She is a fellow of both the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales) and of the Association of Corporate Treasurers.

Rita first started working in audit in 1990 as a trainee-chartered accountant. She then left public practice and spent the next 24 years of her career with social housing organisations including Gateway Housing, Newlon Group, Thames Valley Housing and Sovereign.

Immediately prior to joining the University as Chief Financial Officer, she was CFO for Cancer Research UK.

Rita has held Executive Finance Director/ CFO roles since 1999 and her experience includes corporate funding strategy and implementation, business planning and tax. She has also led on strategic matters including mergers, acquisitions, growth, diversification, and change management. In addition to finance, she has held executive responsibility for corporate services, technology, business improvement, governance, risk management and procurement.

She has held several non-executive positions, including Chair of the Audit Committee of The Beatson Institute and is currently a NED of HICL Plc, a UK-Listed Infrastructure Investment company.

Partners Sessions

Looking outward: the changing people needs of higher education

Day 2 : 09:30 - 10:30 GMT
Main stage

Chris Naylor

Director
Inner Circle Consulting

Former local authority CEO

Partners Sessions

Leading change in tough times

Day 1 : 16:30 - 17:30 GMT
Main stage

David Sweeney

Professor of Research Policy
University of Birmingham

David Sweeney is Professor of Research Policy at the University of Birmingham. Previously he was founding Executive Chair of Research England within UKRI, the agency responsible for creating and sustaining the conditions for a healthy and dynamic research and knowledge exchange system in English universities.

Partners Sessions

How do you solve a problem like HE regulation?

Day 1 : 12:15 - 13:15 GMT
Main stage

Mark Simpson

Pro Vice Chancellor (Learning & Teaching)
Teesside University

Pro Vice Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) Teesside University

Partners Sessions

Achieving curriculum transformation at scale

Day 2 : 10:15 - 10:45 GMT
Wonks' stage

David Eastwood

Former VC and member of the Browne Review

David Eastwood is a former vice chancellor, chief executive of HEFCE and AHRC and a member of the 2010 Browne Review in to higher education funding and finance.

Partners Sessions

Do we need (yet) another major HE review?

Day 2 : 16:15 - 17:15 GMT
Main stage

Mark Andrews

Pedagogical evangelist
Adobe

Mark Andrews, pedagogical evangelist, Adobe

Bobby Mehta

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement)
University of Portsmouth

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement), University of Portsmouth

Partners Sessions

Has internationalising higher education worked? How can universities respond to international challenges?

Day 2 : 12:00 - 13:00 GMT
Main stage

Bonnie Greer

Playwright, novelist, critic and broadcaster

American-born broadcaster, playwright, critic and columnist, Greer arrived in London in 1986 and became a British citizen in 1997. She rapidly established herself as a prominent figure in British culture, writing plays for BBC Radio and teaching Shakespeare in Lambeth and Brent schools. She has been an Arts Council supported playwright-in-residence for both Soho Theatre and the Black Theatre Co-operative and served on the boards of the Royal Opera House and London Film School. Greer appears regularly as a critic on Newsnight’s Late Review and writes a column in The Mail on Sunday.

Partners Sessions

Bonnie Greer on the value of arts and humanities

Day 1 : 15:15 - 16:15 GMT
Main stage

Alan Roberts

Partner
Counterculture

Alan is a charity professional, with a background in membership services management and development, board support and advocacy work. Alan is an experienced interim manager with recent tenures conducted entirely throughout COVID-19 lockdown. 

Alan’s recent work includes major reviews of governance, business process, beneficiary engagement, byelaws, senior management structuring and resourcing reviews, board workplan and relationship reviews as well as a number of staff and officer development events. 

Alan co-edits the Student Support Handbook, published by CPAG, now in its 17th edition, and frequently writes on policy and engagement issues in sector publications. Alan is a trustee of the University of Aberystwyth Students’ Union. 

Before joining Counterculture, Alan worked as Policy Development Manager at the National Union of Students for 8 years focusing on social policy, union development and public affairs, specialising in linking the national organisations work with the con-federate membership.

Partners Sessions

New Rules - test your resilience in the face of policy chaos

Day 1 : 14:15 - 16:45 GMT
Senate Room

Katherine Chapman

Director
Living Wage Foundation

Katherine is Director of the Living Wage Foundation. She has a background in working with industry leaders and policy makers to help create high quality jobs for all.

Partners Sessions

How universities can achieve Living Wage accreditation

Day 2 : 14:00 - 14:45 GMT
Wonks' stage

Lou Robinson

Vice President Engagement
Open University Students' Association

Lou Robinson is Vice President Engagement at the OU Students Association. A geology undergraduate, Lou is the “the Queen of Procrastination” and focussed on the ways in which part-time and distance learning students are able to juggle commitments to make student life work effectively.

Partners Sessions

Making it work - how students are navigating the cost of living crisis

Day 1 : 14:00 - 15:00 GMT
Main stage

Tom Levitt

Associate lecturer in sustainability
University of West London

For the last year Tom Levitt has been Sustainability Lecturer/Advisor at the University of West London*. Before that he was a freelance consultant on responsible business for 12 years and author of several books including The Company Citizen (2018) and The Courage to Meddle (2020). And before that he was a Labour MP (1997-2010). Tom is co-founder of the award-winning social enterprise Fair for You* and a season ticket holder at Brentford FC*. (* = Living Wage employers)

Partners Sessions

How universities can achieve Living Wage accreditation

Day 2 : 14:00 - 14:45 GMT
Wonks' stage

Sunder Katwala

Director
British Future

Sunder Katwala is the director of British Future. He has previously worked as a journalist. He was general secretary of the Fabian Society thinktank from 2003 to 2011, and was previously a leader writer and internet editor at the Observer, a research director of the Foreign Policy Centre and commissioning editor for politics and economics at the publisher Macmillan. His support for Everton and Southend United football clubs reflects an upbringing in Cheshire and Essex, though he was born in Doncaster, Yorkshire, to parents who came to Britain from India and Ireland, to work for the NHS.

Partners Sessions

Sunder Katwala: How can universities help cross political divides in polarised times?

Day 1 : 11:15 - 12:00 GMT
Main stage

Dhruv Dev

President
Leeds Beckett Students’ Union

Dhruv Dev is President at Leeds Beckett Students’ Union. Prior to taking up the role Dhruv was an international postgraduate student who’s committed to tackling the rising cost of living in the UK for students and working on sustainability.

Partners Sessions

Making it work - how students are navigating the cost of living crisis

Day 1 : 14:00 - 15:00 GMT
Main stage

Ben Johnson

Senior Policy Adviser to the Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Ben is the Senior Policy Adviser to the Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Ayesha Hazarika

Columnist, broadcaster and co-host of The Power Test

Ayesha is a renowned columnist and broadcaster who hosts the weekend drivetime show on Times Radio and edits The Londoner, the Evening Standard’s Daily Diary section.

Having started her career as a stand-up comedian, she then took the natural diversion into politics as a special adviser to Labour Party leaders Gordon Brown, Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband.

A regular political pundit in print and on TV and radio news programmes, Ayesha also appears on comedy shows such as Have I Got News For You (BBC), The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4) and Matt Forde’s Unspun (Dave).

She continues to perform stand-up and has brought highly successful shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and elsewhere in recent years.

Partners Sessions

Live recording: The Power Test - universities

Day 2 : 14:00 - 15:00 GMT
Main stage

Sam Freedman

Senior fellow at the Institute for Government and co-host of The Power Test

Sam is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government. From 2010-2013 he was a Senior Policy Adviser to the Secretary of State at the UK Department for Education. After that he worked at the UK’s largest teacher training charity, Teach First, ending up as the Executive Director in charge of recruitment and teacher training. In 2018 he became CEO of Education Partnerships Group – an international charity providing policy support to Governments in sub-Saharan Africa. Following an extended stay in hospital in Spring 2021 (which you can read about here) he stepped down from that role and spends most of his time doing political commentary for various outlets. He also has a podcast and is writing a book. You can follow him on twitter @samfr.

Partners Sessions

Live recording: The Power Test - universities

Day 2 : 14:00 - 15:00 GMT
Main stage

Melanie Garson

Cyber policy and tech geopolitics lead
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

Dr Melanie Garson is the Cyber Policy and Tech Geopolitics Lead at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Her work focuses on cyber policy, the geopolitics of AI, geopolitics of the internet, the rise of tech companies as geopolitical actors, data governance as well as the intersection of emerging tech, foreign policy and diplomacy. She is also an Associate Professor in International Conflict Resolution & International Security in the Department of Political Science at University College London where she teaches about cyberwarfare and the future of conflict in the digital age, as well as International Negotiation.

Melanie is an accredited mediator and has worked as a solicitor in the International Disputes department of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. She received her PhD from University College London, and holds a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Medford, MA).

Partners Sessions

Preparing for Generation-AI

Day 1 : 15:15 - 16:00 GMT
Collaboration space

Alistair Jarvis

Pro-Vice Chancellor of Partnerships and Governance
University of London

Alistair is a member of the senior executive team at the University of London. His responsibilities include governance, communications, fundraising, marketing, legal, student recruitment, inclusion, regulatory compliance, quality assurance and supporting partnerships with federation members.

He was CEO of Universities UK from 2017 to 2022. Leading the representative body for the UK’s 140 universities – a registered charity and six subsidiary entities – his role included influencing policy, strategy and member engagement. Before this, he was Deputy CEO and Director of External Relations since 2013.

Previously, he was a Director at the University of Birmingham and has held external engagement roles for national organisations. 

Alistair received a CBE in 2022 for services to Higher Education and supporting the sector during the covid-19 crisis.

He is a member of the UCAS Board of Trustees and a member of the advisory boards of Wonkhe, the UPP Foundation and the Discovery Decade project. Alistair was educated at the Universities of Kent, Leicester and the Institute of Education, UCL​.

Partners Sessions

Influencing government policy across the UK

Day 1 : 16:30 - 17:30 GMT
Collaboration space

Dom White

President
Derby Students' Union

Dom White is President at Derby Students’ Union, where he has led on work improving access and support for “widening participation” students, work based learners and student parents – believing that all both want and need a rounded student experience.

Partners Sessions

Making it work - how students are navigating the cost of living crisis

Day 1 : 14:00 - 15:00 GMT
Main stage

Stian Westlake

Executive chair
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

Stian is Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). He joined in June 2023.

Before this, he served as Chief Executive of the Royal Statistical Society, as Executive Director of Policy and Research at Nesta, as adviser to three UK science ministers and as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company.Stian’s research interests include the economics and politics of innovation, research and technology. He is a regular commentator on science and innovation policy, and co-author of Restarting the Future: How to Fix the Intangible Economy and Capitalism Without Capital: The Rise of the Intangible Economy

Vivienne Stern

Chief executive
Universities UK

Vivienne Stern took up the role of UUK Chief Executive in September 2022. She was previously the Director of Universities UK International (UUKi) which represents UK universities around the world and works to enable them to flourish internationally. 

Vivienne has over 20 years’ experience of working in higher education policy and politics at national and international level. Prior to her role in UUKi, Vivienne was Head of Political Affairs at Universities UK, and led the sector’s response to several major pieces of legislation relating to universities. Before that she worked for the Chair of the House of Commons Education Select Committee, and as policy specialist working on topics including quality, student experience, innovation and university-business links. 

Vivienne is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, where she studied English Literature. 

Partners Sessions

Do we need (yet) another major HE review?

Day 2 : 16:15 - 17:15 GMT
Main stage

Live recording: The Power Test - universities

Day 2 : 14:00 - 15:00 GMT
Main stage

Thomas Jørgensen

Director for policy coordination and foresight
European University Association

Thomas is the Director for Policy Coordination and Foresight at the European University Association.

Partners Sessions

What do UK universities need to know to be able to continue to collaborate with EU universities?

Day 2 : 11:00 - 11:45 GMT
Wonks' stage

Josette Bushell-Mingo

Principal and CEO
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

Josette is Principal and CEO of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. 

Born in London and based in Sweden from 2005-2021, Josette is an active spokesperson for inclusive arts and politics. 

Previously, she was the Head of Acting at Stockholm University of the Arts, Sweden; Artistic Director for The National Touring Swedish Deaf Theatre Ensemble Tyst Teater (CREA) Riksteatern; the Founder and Artistic Director of PUSH, a Black-led theatre festival with the Young Vic Theatre; and co-founder of PUSH’s sister organisation in Sweden, TRYCK. 

An award-winning actor and director, her career has included performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and the Manchester Royal Exchange. She has served on the board of the Swedish Film Institute, as chairwoman for CinemAfrica, a Swedish Non-Profit organisation devoted to celebrating African and Diaspora film culture, is currently on the Board of Trustees for the University of London and Hackney Empire, and is Patron of the Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Partners Sessions

Leading change in tough times

Day 1 : 16:30 - 17:30 GMT
Main stage

Edmund Heery

Professor Emeritus in Employment Relations
Cardiff Business School

Edmund Heery is Professor Emeritus in Employment Relations at Cardiff Business School. For the past few years Edmund has been working on a major study of the Real Living Wage, the voluntary wage standard promoted by the Living Wage Foundation. Over the summer Edmund and his colleagues, Deborah Hann and David Nash, published an account of the Living Wage campaign and its effects: The Real Living Wage – Edmund Heery, Deborah Hann, David Nash – Oxford University Press (oup.com). More recently Edmund and his colleagues have published two reports, which are available on the Living Wage Foundation website. The first, Twenty years of the Living Wage – The Employer Experience | Living Wage Foundation, reports the results of a survey of all accredited Living Wage Employers and examines whether there is a ‘business case’ for signing up to standards of this kind. The second, The Real Living Wage in Higher Education, looks at the spread of the Living Wage amongst universities and presents evidence for a substantial redistributive effect within the sector.

Partners Sessions

How universities can achieve Living Wage accreditation

Day 2 : 14:00 - 14:45 GMT
Wonks' stage

Mark Peace

Professor of innovation
Manchester Metropolitan University

Mark Peace is Professor of Innovation in Education at Manchester Metropolitan University and Assistant Director of Learning Enhancement and Educational Development, focused on Innovation and Initiatives. His portfolio includes the creation of the Guardian award winning Rise programme.

Partners Sessions

Has TEF changed the teaching and learning landscape?

Day 1 : 11:15 - 12:00 GMT
Collaboration space

Darcie Jones

VP Education
University of Plymouth Students' Union

Darcie Jones is the VP Education at the University of Plymouth SU, a proud “commuter student” who is passionate about access and improving belonging for those from universities’ local areas.

Partners Sessions

Making it work - how students are navigating the cost of living crisis

Day 1 : 14:00 - 15:00 GMT
Main stage

Zuzanna Romanska

VP Wellbeing and Community
University of Lincoln Students' Union

Zuzanna Romanska is VP Wellbeing and Community and the University of Lincoln SU. Prior to election Zuzanna was an international postgraduate student from Poland with plenty of experience of balancing difficult funding conditions with academic and student life.

Partners Sessions

Making it work - how students are navigating the cost of living crisis

Day 1 : 14:00 - 15:00 GMT
Main stage

Andy Youell

Executive director:regulation
University College of Estate Management

Andy is Executive Director: Regulation at the University College of Estate Management. His career in HE began at the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council in 1991 and has included spells at HEFCE and HESA.

In 2013 Andy was appointed Director of the Higher Education Data & Information Improvement Programme (HEDIIP) which was created to reduce the burden and increase the value and accessibility of data and information about HE.

Andy has worked as a freelance consultant advising HE providers and related organisations on data and regulation issues. He has advised governments in Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia and Oman and he worked on a UN project in Jordan that developed statistical reporting for universities across the Middle East.

Andy is a former member of the DfE Information Standards Board and was a member of the independent review of 2020 qualification grades which was commissioned by the Welsh Government.

Partners Sessions

The state of HE data in 2023

Day 1 : 11:15 - 11:45 GMT
Wonks' stage

Pradeep Passi

Pro vice chancellor (Equity, diversity and inclusion)
University of Salford

Pradeep is the Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) at the University of Salford and leads its institutional approach to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion. He also co-chairs the Race Equality Charter Governance Committee, who oversee the development of the charter. His interests lie in developing approaches which are intentionally inclusive, using co-creation as a tool to drive organisational change. Pradeep draws on his extensive experience in working across the public sector, including the NHS, criminal justice and local government. Pradeep’s research interests lie in seeking out approaches that will lead to the elimination of awarding gaps and is a founding member of the UK Higher Education Awards Gap Group, a collaborative of higher education institutions working on this issue.

Partners Sessions

What progress are universities making on anti-racism?

Day 1 : 14:15 - 15:00 GMT
Collaboration space

Caroline Prendergast

Chief learning officer
KPMG

Caroline Prendergast is the Chief learning officer at KPMG and a strategic People Director with global experience in finance, media, digital, regulatory and unionised environments. She previously worked for Aviva as the People Director for Global Digital and Asia and in July 2018, became the Interim Chief People Officer (covering the role during a maternity leave). Prior to this she was at the FCA and the BBC Skills and HR Director for the London 2012 Olympics.

Partners Sessions

Preparing for Generation-AI

Day 1 : 15:15 - 16:00 GMT
Collaboration space

Jess Lister

Associate director, education practice
Public First

Jess is an Associate Director within the Education Practice. At Public First, she works primarily with higher education clients and corporates on post-18 education policy. She was previously Public Affairs Coordinator at the University of Cambridge, where she helped the University respond to regional, national, and international policy developments and advised senior leaders on political strategy.

Jess has an undergraduate degree from Cambridge and an MSc (Distinction) in Education at Birkbeck, focusing on higher education & public policy

Partners Sessions

What does the public think about HE funding?

Day 2 : 12:45 - 13:15 GMT
Wonks' stage

Richard Brabner

Director of ESG for UPP and Director of the UPP Foundation

Richard Brabner is Director of ESG for UPP and Director of the UPP Foundation. He was formerly Head of Policy for the University of Hertfordshire.

Partners Sessions

Features of a good civic strategy and what takes it from good to great

Day 1 : 14:15 - 15:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

Selena Bolingbroke

Principal of the Building Crafts College

Selena is Principal of the Building Crafts College and a non executive director of Wonkhe.

Partners Sessions

Making university life better

Day 1 : 11:15 - 12:45 GMT
Senate Room

Joe Cooper

Director of people and culture
University of East London

Joe is the Director of People and Culture at University of East London.

Partners Sessions

Making university life better

Day 1 : 11:15 - 12:45 GMT
Senate Room

Graeme Wise

Head of engagement and knowledge exchange
University of London

Graeme is the Head of Engagement and Knowledge Exchange at the University of London. He is also a Contributing Editor to Wonkhe and previously served in senior policy roles at University Alliance and the National Union of Students.

Partners Sessions

An election manifesto for HE

Day 2 : 10:15 - 11:45 GMT
Senate Room

Smita Jamdar

Partner & head of education
Shakespeare Martineau

Smita leads the Shakespeare Martineau team that works to shape the universities and colleges of the future by providing strategic advice and sector specific insight across all their legal needs.

Smita is a recognised leader in her field, specialising in constitutional, governance and regulatory advice which helps educational institutions thrive in a rapidly changing landscape. She has helped institutions to innovate and develop, to widen their reach, build institutional resilience, and deliver the best outcomes for students and other stakeholders.

Partners Sessions

How do you solve a problem like HE regulation?

Day 1 : 12:15 - 13:15 GMT
Main stage

Connie Chilcott

President (Exeter)
Falmouth and Exeter Students' Union

Connie Chilcott is President (Exeter) at Falmouth and Exeter Students Union, and a member of University of Exeter’s Council.

Partners Sessions

Should higher education just stop protest?

Day 2 : 15:00 - 16:00 GMT
Collaboration space

Jo Fox

Pro vice chancellor (research and engagement) and Dean, school of advanced study
University of London

Jo Fox is the Pro Vice Chancellor (Research and Engagement) and Dean, School of Advanced Study, University of London. She is a specialist in the history of propaganda and psychological warfare in twentieth-century Europe. She has published on propaganda in Britain and Germany during the First and Second World Wars, in particular exploring the connections between propaganda and popular opinion, and on mis-and disinformation in contemporary society. She is currently working on a four-year Leverhulme-funded project with James Smith (Durham) and Pat Waugh (Durham) on ‘The Political Warfare Executive, Covert Propaganda and British Culture’ and on an AHRC COVID-19 rapid response project on ‘COVID-19 rumours in historical context’. Jo is a regular commentator on historical and contemporary disinformation campaigns (‘fake news’). Prior to her current role, she was the first female Director of the Institute of Historical Research, first female Professor of Modern History and first female Head of Department at Durham University, where she began her academic career in 1999. She has previously served as the Honorary Communications Director of the Royal Historical Society. She is a National Teaching Fellow (2007), a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS), and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Manufactures and the Arts (FRSA). She currently serves as the early research panel Chair at the Wellcome Trust. 

Partners Sessions

Report launch - How universities can prepare students for the changing world 

Day 2 : 15:00 - 16:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

James Purnell

President and vice chancellor
University of the Arts London

James Purnell is President and Vice-Chancellor of University of the Arts London (UAL). Before joining UAL, he was Director of Radio and Education at the BBC, where he oversaw teams in various divisions, including BBC Radio and Music, BBC Children’s and Education, and BBC Arts. In 2001, Purnell was elected as a Member of Parliament for Stalybridge and Hyde, and later served as the Secretary of State for Culture and then for Work and Pensions.

Partners Sessions

Live recording: The Power Test - universities

Day 2 : 14:00 - 15:00 GMT
Main stage

Unpacking the "third mission" - how can universities authentically be of service to their communities?

Day 1 : 12:15 - 13:15 GMT
Collaboration space

Richard Puttock

Head of Business Intelligence and Data Analytics (BIDA)
University of Leeds

Richard Puttock is former Director of Data, Foresight, and Analysis at the Office for Students, and currently Head of Business Intelligence and Data Analytics (BIDA) at the University of Leeds.

Partners Sessions

In conversation: Richard Puttock

Day 2 : 09:30 - 10:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

Oliver Young

Associate Dean for Taught Students and Chief Diversity Officer
University of Exeter

Before studying for his undergraduate degree, Oliver gained valuable experience in the music and entertainment industry. The combination of these experiences led to an interest in finance and developing a deeper understanding of how to finance businesses. After completing his undergraduate degree, he worked for a global bank focusing in business banking for medium and large businesses within the South Yorkshire region.

Having moved back into academia for postgraduate studies, he developed an interest for research in Education and Technology (technology use in educational research and educational technology) with particular emphasis on Web2.0 and mobile technologies, Andragogy & Heutagogy and through Ph.D study a focus on eye-tracking in natural environments. Oliver’s current teaching focus is on the work based projects and project management.

Partners Sessions

What progress are universities making on anti-racism?

Day 1 : 14:15 - 15:00 GMT
Collaboration space

Claire Callender

Professor of higher education policy at UCL Institute of Education and Birkbeck University

Claire Callender is Professor of Higher Education Policy at UCL Institute of Education and at Birkbeck. She is deputy director of the Centre for Global Higher Education which is based at UCL.

Professor Callender leads CGHE’s social and economic impact of higher education research programme. Her research focuses particularly on student finances and related issues, such as the effects of tuition debt on graduate financial and life decisions.

Partners Sessions

Do we need (yet) another major HE review?

Day 2 : 16:15 - 17:15 GMT
Main stage

Jackie Njoroge

Deputy Chair, HESPA and Director of Strategy
University of Salford

Jackie has recently joined the University of Salford as its first Director of Strategy. Prior to this she led the Strategic Planning and Management Information team within MMU, with a mandate to help change the strategic planning direction of the University. A qualified management accountant, Jackie had a career in financial planning and management within the steel industry, before moving into Higher Education in 2003, where she eventually moved into Strategic Planning and Performance, successfully leading the team to an industry award for the implementation of Northumbria’s business intelligence solution.

Partners Sessions

How to build a Lifelong Learning Entitlement

Day 1 : 15:15 - 16:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

Paul Greatrix

Registrar
University of Nottingham

Paul Greatrix is Registrar at The University of Nottingham, author and creator of Registrarism and a Contributing Editor of Wonkhe.

Partners Sessions

The imaginary university, with Paul Greatrix

Day 2 : 13:45 - 14:30 GMT
Collaboration space

Amatey Doku

HE consultant
Moorhouse Consulting

Amatey Doku is an HE Consultant at Moorhouse Consulting.

Partners Sessions

The imaginary university, with Paul Greatrix

Day 2 : 13:45 - 14:30 GMT
Collaboration space

Dinah Birch

Emeritus professor
University of Liverpool

Dinah Birch is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Liverpool, and a former pro-vice chancellor.

Partners Sessions

Has REF gone woke? Research culture and research excellence

Day 2 : 12:00 - 13:00 GMT
Collaboration space

Emily McIntosh

Director of student success
University of the West of Scotland

Dr Emily McIntosh has held a variety of senior management roles in learning, teaching and the student experience in several UK universities. She joined the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) as Director of Student Success in January 2023. Her expertise includes institutional leadership for learning and teaching, including student transition, technology enhanced learning (TEL), academic practice, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), academic advising, and student engagement. Emily is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA, 2017) and a National Teaching Fellow (NTF, 2021). She was a founding Board member and Trustee of UK Advising and Tutoring (UKAT) from 2016-2021, is an Executive Member & Trustee of the Heads of Educational Development (HEDG) group (2022) and an Independent Board Member of the Board of Corporation for the Trafford College Group (TCG). Emily has always had a keen interest in all things student success and has published monographs, chapters and articles on a wide variety of topics from academic advising, personal tutoring and peer learning to integrated practice.

Partners Sessions

Does the HE sector need a student support excellence framework?

Day 2 : 09:30 - 10:30 GMT
Collaboration space

Wendy Alexander

Vice principal
University of Dundee

Wendy Alexander is Vice-Principal (International) at the University of Dundee.

Partners Sessions

Influencing government policy across the UK

Day 1 : 16:30 - 17:30 GMT
Collaboration space

Dewi Knight

Director
PolicyWISE

Dewi Knight is Director of PolicyWISE, the first and only UK and Ireland comparative policy and knowledge exchange initiative, hosted by The Open University. He is the former Welsh Government specialist adviser for education, and previously worked on UK-China education relations for the British Council and was Director of Policy at the University of Bedfordshire.

Partners Sessions

Influencing government policy across the UK

Day 1 : 16:30 - 17:30 GMT
Collaboration space

Alex Favier

Director of global reputation and relations
University of Nottingham

Alex Favier is Director of Global Reputation and Relations at the University of Nottingham, Director of the Midlands Universities as Drivers of Trade and Investment Pilot and Founding Director of Favier Ltd.

Jonathan Grant

Founding director
Different Angles Ltd

Jonathan is founding Director of Different Angles Ltd, a consultancy that focuses on the social impact of universities and research. His main interests are in biomedical and health R&D policy, research impact assessment, the use of research and evidence in policy and decision-taking, and the social purpose of universities in the 21st century. Jonathan has significant international experience, having helped formulate and implement R&D and other strategies in, for example, the UK, Greece, Norway, Qatar, Oman, Abu Dhabi, Australia, Canada and the USA.

Jonathan joined King’s College London, as professor of public policy, in 2014 to set up the Policy Institute at King’s, and was its Director until 2017, when he stepped down to “hold the pen” on developing King’s strategic vision 2029. He then was appointed Vice President & Vice Principal (Service). Service is King’s award-winning and unique commitment to social responsibility and covers a range of activities including social reform, research impact, service-led learning, volunteering, and environment sustainability. It is one of King’s five strategic priorities and encapsulates King’s commitment to society beyond education and research.

Jonathan is a senior advisor to Researchfish, a data platform that captures research impact from funded grants, and a Research Fellow at RAND Europe, a public policy think tank and an associate of the Nous Group, an international management consultancy. He is also a Trustee of the Association of Medical Research Charities.

Prior to joining King’s, Jonathan was President of RAND Europe between June 2006 and October 2012, where he oversaw the doubling of the organisation’s activity in Europe and the establishment of the Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research, a joint venture with the University of Cambridge.  Before joining RAND in 2002, he was Head of Policy at the Wellcome Trust.

Jonathan’s book, The New Power University.  The social purpose of higher education in the 21st century, was published by Pearson in March 2021.

Partners Sessions

Unpacking the "third mission" - how can universities authentically be of service to their communities?

Day 1 : 12:15 - 13:15 GMT
Collaboration space

Joanna Newman

Provost
SOAS, University of London

Joanna Newman is a British academic, journalist and administrator. She is provost at SOAS, University of London, and was previously secretary general of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.Prior to joining the ACU, Newman was vice-principal (international) of King’s College London. Her previous positions include director of the UK Higher Education International Unit (now known as Universities UK International) and head of higher education at the British Library. Newman is a faculty member in the Department of History at King’s College London, and has taught history at University College London and the University of Warwick.

Partners Sessions

Has internationalising higher education worked? How can universities respond to international challenges?

Day 2 : 12:00 - 13:00 GMT
Main stage

Mary Stiasny

Pro vice chancellor international, learning and teaching
University of London

Professor Mary Stiasny is the Pro-Vice Chancellor, International, Learning and Teaching, University of London. She previously held roles at the British Council and the Institute of Education.

Shân Wareing

Deputy vice chancellor
University of Northampton

Shân joined the University of Northampton as Deputy Vice Chancellor in November 2019, and leads the academic side of the university. She grew up in Swansea, attended a large comprehensive school and studied English Literature and Language at the University of Oxford, followed by a Masters in Linguistics and a PhD in Gender and Communication at the University of Strathclyde. She’s passionate about teaching and education, holds a National Teaching Fellowship, a postgraduate diploma in Higher Education Studies from the UCL Institute of Education and is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has been in university leadership for over 20 years, and has developed Education Strategies in five universities. Her roles have involved designing and delivering academic staff development, leading digitally enabled whole institution organisational change, converting face to face programmes to online distance learning, restructuring IT and HR departments, and redesigning policies and practices in assessment, student complaints and timetabling.

Shân is a regularly invited speaker for conferences and policy think tanks, particularly in the areas of digital transformation, gender and leadership, equality, diversity and inclusivity, and university strategy. She enjoys contributing to national debates via blogging; two of her blogs have won national awards. She lives in South West London with her husband and her three school-age children.

Partners Sessions

Looking outward: the changing people needs of higher education

Day 2 : 09:30 - 10:30 GMT
Main stage

Jamie Arrowsmith

Director
Universities UK International

Jamie was appointed Director of Universities UK International (UUKi) in November 2022. Part of Universities UK (UUK), UUKi represents our universities globally to help them meet their international aims.

Prior to taking on this role, Jamie led UUK’s research and innovation policy programme (2014-2017) before becoming Assistant Director for Policy Engagement at UUKi (2017-2022). He has led major programmes of work on a diverse range of topics, including sector agency reform, research integrity, security and risk in internationalisation, and the UK international education strategy. Jamie also helped establish the Wales Innovation Network while on secondment as Executive Head of WIN (2021-2022).

Partners Sessions

Has internationalising higher education worked? How can universities respond to international challenges?

Day 2 : 12:00 - 13:00 GMT
Main stage

Alison Johns

Chief executive
Advance HE

Alison Johns is chief executive of Advance HE. Prior to autumn 2017 she was chief executive of the Leadership Foundation. She has worked in higher education for 25 years, including as head of policy for leadership, governance and management at HEFCE), where she established the Leadership Foundation and the Equality Challenge Unit. She is a past president of the Association of University Administrators and represents the UK on the Association of Commonwealth Universities Human Resources Management Network. She recently joined the British Council’s planning committee for Going Global, the major international higher education conference. Her international experience of higher education includes leading the review of teaching and learning for the Australian government which led to the establishment of the Office for Learning and Teaching.

Partners Sessions

Looking outward: the changing people needs of higher education

Day 2 : 09:30 - 10:30 GMT
Main stage

Ken Sloan

Vice chancellor
Harper Adams University

Professor Ken Sloan joined Harper Adams as Vice-Chancellor on 1 November 2021.  Ken has extensive national and international experience in strategy, leadership, governance, professional, business development and commercial activities. Previously, Ken was at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, serving as the inaugural Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise and Governance) and has previously held roles as Registrar and Chief Operating Officer at the University of Warwick; as a Business Development Director, Universities and Higher Education, with SERCO; and as Special Advisor to the Stephen A. Schwarzman Education Foundation, based at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

Partners Sessions

Looking outward: the changing people needs of higher education

Day 2 : 09:30 - 10:30 GMT
Main stage

Katy Shaw

Professor of 21st century writing and publishing
Northumbria University

Katy Shaw is professor of 21st-century writing and publishing at Northumbria University and director of the UKRI/AHRC Creative Communities programme. Her research interests include diversity and inclusion in the creative industries (the subject of her 2022 TED talk) and the redistribution of the creative industries from the capital to the regions and nations as part of the ‘levelling up agenda’.

She sits as a commissioner on the LGA Culture Commission and the Gordon Brown Union Commission. Her policy consultancy focuses on R&D, innovation and the role of HEIs and further education in cultural partnership working.

Partners Sessions

What do the UK's places want from their universities?

Day 1 : 10:00 - 11:00 GMT
Main stage

Rachel Wolf

Founding partner
Public First

Rachel Wolf is a Founding Partner at Public First, leading the agency’s policy work. Rachel co-authored the Conservative Party’s Election Manifesto in 2019. Previously education and innovation adviser to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street, she was also Senior Vice President for technology company Amplify in New York City, running one of their main product divisions. She founded and ran the New Schools Network – the charity that helped develop and implement the Government’s free schools programme. Rachel has written for national think tanks and most major broadsheets and she has appeared on all the major broadcast shows. Rachel began her career as an education and political adviser to the Conservative Party and was a policy adviser to Boris Johnson on his first mayoral campaign and in his earlier role as Shadow Higher Education Minister.

Partners Sessions

What do the UK's places want from their universities?

Day 1 : 10:00 - 11:00 GMT
Main stage

Wendy Thomson

Vice chancellor
University of London

Professor Wendy Thomson CBE is a Canadian-born public administrator and social policy researcher and advisor who has worked in both Canada and the UK.

Thomson was the managing director of Norfolk County Council from 2014 until the end of 2018. Since July 2019, she has served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of London.

Partners Sessions

Report launch - How universities can prepare students for the changing world 

Day 2 : 15:00 - 16:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

What do the UK's places want from their universities?

Day 1 : 10:00 - 11:00 GMT
Main stage

Mike Ratcliffe

Academic registrar and HE historian

Mike Ratcliffe is a higher education historian and career academic administrator, who has held senior posts at Nottingham Trent, Winchester and Oxford Brookes universities. Having become unnaturally interested in universities in themselves, he is particularly fascinated with their history and philosophy and has been doing postgraduate study at the UCL Institute of Education on the history of the university curriculum.

Partners Sessions

How do you solve a problem like HE regulation?

Day 1 : 12:15 - 13:15 GMT
Main stage

Katie Normington

Vice chancellor
De Montfort University

Professor Katie Normington joined De Montfort University, Leicester as Vice-Chancellor in 2021 from Royal Holloway, University of London, where she was Deputy Principal (Academic). 

At DMU she launched the new strategy of ‘The Empowering University’ and implemented Education 2030, a programme that delivers the education of the future now through block-mode, flexible, stackable modules which focus on employability, sustainability and equality. 

Under Katie’s tenure DMU became the first university to achieve a silver Race Equality Charter and the renewal as a UN Academic Impact Hub for SGD 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. 

Katie is a Professor of Drama. Her research focuses on theatre history – in particular, medieval English drama and contemporary theatre practice. She has published six books in these areas and continues to write articles within the field.

Partners Sessions

Leading change in tough times

Day 1 : 16:30 - 17:30 GMT
Main stage

Clare Saunders

Co-chair
Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA)

Clare is Co-Chair of the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA), the professional association for those who lead and support educational change in UK higher education. She has held leadership roles in learning and teaching at a range of UK universities, from the Russell Group to post-92 and small and specialist institutions, as well as a sector-wide role in one of the predecessor organisations to Advance HE. She is recognised as Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy for her strategic impact on learning and teaching nationally. She has been involved in TEF since its inception, at three different universities and as a contributor to the Pearce Review.  

Partners Sessions

Has TEF changed the teaching and learning landscape?

Day 1 : 11:15 - 12:00 GMT
Collaboration space

Andrew Boggs

University secretary
Royal Holloway, University of London

Andrew is University Secretary of Royal Holloway, University of London. He has worked in the higher education sector and on university policy for over 25 years. He served as policy advisor to the Government of Ontario (Canada), including oversight of the creation of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and was the inaugural Research Director of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. Since moving to the UK in 2008, Andrew has worked with Universities UK, the Russell Group, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, Oxford University, St Mary’s University Twickenham, Kingston University and the Department for Education. Andrew is a published scholar on university regulation and governance, higher education policy and history, and is a regular contributor to WonkHE and the Higher Education Policy Institute.

Partners Sessions

How do you solve a problem like HE regulation?

Day 1 : 12:15 - 13:15 GMT
Main stage

Andrea Laczik

Director of research
Edge Foundation

Andrea is the Director of Research at the Edge Foundation. She has over 20 years of education research and policy evaluation experience while working at Oxford and Warwick Universities and Edge. Her broad interests cover Vocational Education and Training (VET) and apprenticeships at all levels, employer engagement in VET and general education, skills development, innovative/alternative higher education, youth transition and trajectories and provisions for young people and adults from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Partners Sessions

The degree apprenticeship experience

Day 1 : 13:00 - 13:30 GMT
Wonks' stage

Dana Dabbous

Senior education and policy researcher
Edge Foundation

Dana is a Senior education and policy Researcher at the Edge Foundation. Her research focuses on further education, vocational education and training, understanding good practice across all levels of education and labour skills shortages across the UK.

Partners Sessions

The degree apprenticeship experience

Day 1 : 13:00 - 13:30 GMT
Wonks' stage

Julie Sanders

Vice chancellor and principal
Royal Holloway, University of London

Julie Sanders joined Royal Holloway, University of London as Vice-Chancellor and Principal in October 2022. She is currently leading on the development of the university’s long-term strategy RH2030s which builds on the institution’s founding principles and advances research and education for social purpose.

She was previously the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at Newcastle University where in addition to work on academic strategy and oversight of the university’s three faculties, she had special responsibilities for the university’s values-led work on social and environmental justice, academic freedom and equality, diversity and inclusion. 

Julie is a proud trustee of two cultural venues – Shakespeare’s Globe on London’s Bankside and Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, Merseyside. She is a global ambassador for the Magna Charta Observatory based at the University of Bologna and currently serves on the Universities UK Climate Action Steering Group. 

Julie’s own research and education interests are in early modern drama and adaptation studies.

Partners Sessions

Unpacking the "third mission" - how can universities authentically be of service to their communities?

Day 1 : 12:15 - 13:15 GMT
Collaboration space

Andy Westwood

Professor of government practice
University of Manchester

Andy is Professor of Government Practice at the University of Manchester where he teaches politics and is a theme director at the ESRC funded Productivity Institute. He also works regularly as an adviser to the OECD, the EU and the IMF, as well as for the Select Committees on Economic Affairs and Digital Skills in the House of Lords. He was a special adviser to education and science ministers in the last Labour government and also worked as an advisor at the Treasury and the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Partners Sessions

An election manifesto for HE

Day 2 : 10:15 - 11:45 GMT
Senate Room

What do the UK's places want from their universities?

Day 1 : 10:00 - 11:00 GMT
Main stage

David Penney

Director of marketing
UCAS

Dave Penney has worked in higher education for over 15 years at four different universities and is now Director of Marketing at UCAS, where he leads on communications to inspire over a million students a year to take their next step with UCAS.

Partners Sessions

Packing our knapsacks for the Journey to a Million

Day 1 : 12:15 - 12:45 GMT
Wonks' stage

Ben Jordan

Head of policy
UCAS

Ben has been at UCAS for over a decade and has been described as a ‘leading figure of HE admissions policy’, with his knowledge in this area ‘second to none’. During his time at UCAS, Ben had led the response and engagement around every major political event that could impact on student progression, including Brexit, admissions reform, qualification reform, Scottish independence, general elections, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, which involved forming part of three separate ministerial taskforces.

Partners Sessions

Packing our knapsacks for the Journey to a Million

Day 1 : 12:15 - 12:45 GMT
Wonks' stage

Megan Fearon

Senior manager for policy and public affairs
The Open University

Megan Fearon works with The Open University in Ireland as Senior Manager for Policy and Public Affairs.

She is a former Sinn Féin MLA for Newry and Armagh, Junior Minister in the NI Executive and Chairperson of the NI Assembly Women’s Caucus. She was the youngest political representative on the island and the youngest government minister in Europe.

Megan is a Trustee on the board of Conciliation Resources and a Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building. 

Partners Sessions

Influencing government policy across the UK

Day 1 : 16:30 - 17:30 GMT
Collaboration space

Jane Robinson

Pro vice chancellor - engagement and place
Newcastle University

As Pro-Vice Chancellor, Jane leads Newcastle University’s Engagement & Place Strategy,
focussing on building partnerships to enhance our contribution socially, economically and
culturally. Previously, Jane was Durham University’s Chief Operating Officer with strategic
oversight of operations and external engagement.
Before taking up her position at Durham, Jane was Chief Executive of Gateshead Council.
Jane also played a leading role in the establishment of the North East Combined Authority
and the Commission on Health and Social Care Integration.
Jane has also held leadership positions in the cultural sector, including Director of External
Relations at Arts Council England, where she led major corporate initiatives that included
Local Government liaison, creative industries development and overseeing capital
programmes.
Jane holds an MBA and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in English Literature. She is also a
Fellow of the RSA, Co-chair of the North East Cultural Partnership and holds a number of
non-executive roles, including the Centre for Life and the Centre for Cities.

Partners Sessions

Features of a good civic strategy and what takes it from good to great

Day 1 : 14:15 - 15:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

Mark Leach

Founder and editor in chief
Wonkhe

Mark Leach is the founder and Editor in Chief of Wonkhe. Mark worked in policy, politics and public affairs in and around UK higher education and founded Wonkhe in 2011 while working as a jobbing policy wonk in the sector. The first part of his career took him to the National Union of Students, HEFCE, University Alliance, GuildHE as well as a stint in politics as a special adviser to the former Shadow Minister for Universities & Science. Mark began full-time work on Wonkhe in mid-2014 growing it from a simple blog to a thriving business with a range of information services for higher education. Mark was appointed MBE for services to higher education in the King’s Birthday Honours in June 2023.

Partners Sessions

Live recording: The Power Test - universities

Day 2 : 14:00 - 15:00 GMT
Main stage

Debbie McVitty

Editor
Wonkhe

Debbie McVitty is Editor of Wonkhe. Debbie is a former chief of staff at Universities UK, director of policy at the University of Bedfordshire, and head of policy at the National Union of Students, and is a founding member of Wonkhe’s editorial group.

Partners Sessions

So you want to write for Wonkhe?

Day 1 : 13:30 - 14:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

David Kernohan

Deputy editor
Wonkhe

David Kernohan is Deputy Editor of Wonkhe. Until June 2016, he worked at Jisc as a programme manager and senior codesign manager, after being seconded from HEFCE in 2006. He has also worked for the University of Glamorgan (now the University of South Wales).  As Associate Editor, David has responsibility for the development and delivery of a variety of editorial content. His key areas of wonkishness include teaching quality enhancement policy, funding policy, sector agency politics and history, research policy, and the use of technology and data in Higher Education.

David has written for Wonkhe since foundation, and also maintains a personal blog.

Partners Sessions

So you want to write for Wonkhe?

Day 1 : 13:30 - 14:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

How to build a Lifelong Learning Entitlement

Day 1 : 15:15 - 16:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

Michael Salmon

News editor
Wonkhe

Michael is News Editor at Wonkhe. Prior to joining Wonkhe, Michael worked in various academic and managerial roles at the University of Southampton, King’s College London and the University of Liverpool, with a focus on international education and online course design. He is a Senior HEA Fellow and a doctoral student at the University of Bath’s International Centre of Higher Education Management.

Partners Sessions

So you want to write for Wonkhe?

Day 1 : 13:30 - 14:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

Jim Dickinson

Associate editor
Wonkhe

Jim is an Associate Editor at Wonkhe and takes a particular interest in student experience, university governance, and regulation – and leads our work with students’ unions.

His career background is in support for student leadership. He has held senior roles at the National Union of Students – where he led on SU development, campaigns and political strategy – and was the CEO at the SU at UEA, providing strategic management for the union’s charitable and commercial vehicles as well as policy support for the elected student officers.

Jim has served as a governor and trustee in both further and higher education and the voluntary sector, and is a regular speaker at sector events and conferences. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, an obsessive fan of the Eurovision Song Contest, and dreams of visiting Moldova.

Sunday Blake

Associate editor
Wonkhe

Sunday Blake is associate editor at Wonkhe. Sunday is coming from the University of Exeter where she works in strategic development and delivery with a specific focus on belonging and inclusion. Previously, she was President of the University of Exeter Students’ Guild, where she worked for two years after completing a postgraduate degree.

She has carried out policy change work both locally and nationally in areas such as sexual misconduct, drug and alcohol use, student sex work, freedom of speech and no-detriment policies. She has worked alongside a diverse range of partners, from AdvanceHE to the Department for Education, and is interested in widening participation, access and retention, and graduate outcomes.

Partners Sessions

So you want to write for Wonkhe?

Day 1 : 13:30 - 14:00 GMT
Wonks' stage

James Coe

Associate editor
Wonkhe

James Coe is Associate Editor covering research and innovation at Wonkhe, and a partner at Counterculture.

Partners Sessions

New Rules - test your resilience in the face of policy chaos

Day 1 : 14:15 - 16:45 GMT
Senate Room

Livia Scott

SUs' community and policy officer
Wonkhe

Livia Scott is Wonkhe SUs’ Community and Policy Officer. A history student who has completed both an undergraduate and postgraduate degree, Livia served as the full time elected Education Officer at Newcastle University Students’ Union in 2021/22.

A former peer mentor, at Newcastle Livia led on work to promote the student interest as we emerged from the pandemic – lobbying for online learning resources, securing improvements to teaching and delivery, driving better access to academic and wellbeing support and lobbying for changes to the personal tutoring system.

Livia works with Wonkhe’s subscriber students’ unions across the country, empowering them to make the changes the students they represent want to see and become more engaged in the HE policy conversation. She is particularly interested in addressing the barriers to student leaders reaching their full potential, and supporting them to be more influential and impactful.

Livia’s passions include contemporary European music, feminism and celebrating others’ successes.

Aaron Porter

Director of partnerships
Wonkhe

Aaron Porter is Director of Partnerships at Wonkhe. Aaron also has a portfolio of advisory and non-executive roles, serves on the council of Goldsmiths University and is chair of BPP University.